Fun Sauropod Facts For Kids

The Sauropod group of dinosaurs consists of large varieties of dinosaurs that roamed the Earth millions of years ago. Sauropods are mainly defined as herbivorous creatures that were docile in nature and had ridiculously large bodies.

As time progressed, Sauropods evolved into several major dinosaur classes, some of the subgroups being the Brachiosauridae, the Diplodocidae, and the Titanosauridae, all of which were gigantic dinosaurs.

Fossil remains of these dinosaurs have been found throughout the world which makes them one of the most populous groups of pre-historic creatures to ever exist. Excavations and research have led to the findings of these large dinosaurs which consist of vertebrae, teeth, ribs, and some jaw structures around which the entire study of this group is based.

Based on further studies it is assumed that there are many Sauropods yet to be found and with each discovery, the story behind these creatures becomes clearer. In the future it will hopefully be enough to put forth a clear case about the size, weight, and other basic information about these creatures.

If you like these facts about Sauropods, then do check out the Austroraptor and the Rahonavis here on Kidadl.

Sauropod Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce Sauropod?

Sauropods are defined as a group of dinosaurs that had long necks, long tails, and relatively small heads compared to their bodies. These dinosaurs were four-legged and as evidence confirms through fossil findings, they were some of the largest land animals to ever walk the face of the Earth.

The word Sauropod is pronounced saw-ruh-paad.

What type of dinosaur was a Sauropod?

Sauropods are considered to have been terrestrial dinosaurs and this species of land animals was herbivorous in nature and had a massive body that came with a long neck with comparatively small heads.

Most of the Sauropod groups and species are known for their massive body and long necks and by their docile nature similar to that of modern-day elephants.

In which geological period did sauropods roam the Earth?

Sauropod dinosaurs are considered to have been one of the dinosaurs that existed in the earliest stages of flora and fauna evolution on Earth.

As evidence suggests, paleontologists date fossil remains of these dinosaurs from the Triassic period (252-201 million years ago) to the late Jurassic period (199.6 million to 145.5 million years ago), with some of the evidence even pointing to the existence of this largest land animal during the late Cretaceous period (100.5–66 million years ago).

When did Sauropods become extinct?

According to discovered fossil remains including bones from necks, limbs, and some skeleton formations, paleontologists estimate that these dinosaurs, thought to be some of the largest animals to ever have existed, lived until the mass extinction event that took place 66 million years ago.

Where did Sauropods live?

It is thought that the entire Sauropod collection of dinosaurs was found all over the world, except the continent of Antarctica. Remainders of bones from limbs, the neck, vertebrae, and heads have been excavated by paleontologists all across the world in places like modern-day Argentina, the USA, Morocco, and various other regions.

What was the Sauropod's habitat?

The Sauropod dinosaur class is often related to each other through their habitat range. These creatures had pencil-shaped teeth that they used to eat plant and tree varieties around them, making it a necessity that their habitats consisted of dense vegetation.

They often used their large size for survival as they stretched their long necks to reach trees at high elevations.

Who did Sauropods live with?

According to research on various Sauropods like the Diplodocids and Titanosaurs, it is considered that these animals with long necks were herd animals and lived in small groups that helped them survive and evolve in various Jurassic periods and the late Cretaceous period until complete extinction took place which wiped out almost all of these creatures that are considered as the largest animals in history.

How long did a Sauropod live?

The lifespan of Sauropods is only estimated as there is a lack of findings that could help in pinpointing an exact lifespan. Complete Sauropod skeletons are rare and whatever data we have on them is based on back or neck vertebrae, and bones from limbs, the neck, or legs.

However, in the case of the Argentinosaurus huinculensis, from the genus Argentinosaurus, the lifespan is based on the history of these fossils, and is it estimated that these Sauropods grew to their adult size in a span of 40 years, which means that this massive lizard lived a minimum of 40 years.

How did they reproduce?

Due to a lack of data, there is not much information regarding the reproduction process of these Sauropods; however, it is known that these dinosaurs were egg-laying animals. As a result of this data deficiency, the sexual maturity age, gestation period, mating season length, or the egg-clutch size cannot be stated.

Sauropod Fun Facts

What did Sauropods look like?

Sauropods are defined as large, four-legged creatures that were herbivorous and had long necks, short legs, and a relatively small head compared to the body. Their legs were solidly built so that they could support the large weight of these dinosaurs.

They also had a long tail that they used to balance their long necks, and these necks were, in some cases, almost half or one-third of the length of the body.

Their legs had four or five toes and according to studies, these dinosaurs had pencil-shaped teeth that they used for their plant-based diet. Sauropods possibly sported some sort of thick body armor that protected them from becoming the food of carnivorous dinosaurs.

How many bones did a Sauropod have?

It is assumed that these dinosaurs had a plethora of bones in their bodies as they would need strong bones to support their weight, especially in the neck region as they had long necks. The exact count of bones that Sauropods had in their bodies is unknown.

How did they communicate?

Not much data is available on communication methods of Sauropods.

How big were Sauropods?

Many classes of dinosaurs belonging to the Sauropod collection are considered to have been the largest creatures to walk the planet. These dinosaurs varied in size and ranged from anywhere between 19.7-114.8 ft (6-35 m) in body length and 6.6-23 ft (2-7 m) in shoulder height.

How fast could Sauropods move?

Sauropods were slow movers as they were gigantic in size. The Argentinosaurus, a Sauropod species, is believed to have had a movement speed of only 5 mph (8 kph).

How much did Sauropods weigh?

Sauropods were the largest and heaviest dinosaur group and had a bodyweight that ranged between 2,463.9-143,300.5 lb (1,117.6-65,000 kg)!

What were male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names given to either sex of Sauropods.

What would you call a baby Sauropod?

Baby Sauropods have no specific name and are called juvenile or baby Sauropods.

What did they eat?

Most Sauropods were herbivorous in nature and had a plant-based diet.

How aggressive were they?

Sauropods are considered to have been a docile species and in many ways have been compared to the modern-day elephant because of their plant-based diet and avoidance of any sort of confrontation.

Did you know...

The name Sauropod stands for 'lizard foot'.

Because of their gigantic size, Sauropods had to intake 400-2,000 lb (181.4-907.2 kg) of food each day.

Prior to in-depth research, Sauropods were considered to be aquatic animals because their nostrils were at the top of the head.

The Titanosaurus is considered to be the last member of this gigantic lizard species to have existed before dinosaurs became extinct.

Sauropods are known to have had a small head which is estimated to have weighed only around 55.1 lb (25 kg)!

Because of their enormous size, it is believed that Sauropods had a slow heartbeat rate of around five to seven beats per minute.

Different types of Sauropods

Sauropods have become one of the most recognizable groups of dinosaurs because of their gigantic body length and size. According to research based on fossilized remains, it is assumed that the oldest known Sauropods were the Isanosaurus and the Antetonitrus, both of which are described as Sauropods of the Triassic period.

The Magyarosaurus is considered to have been the smallest Sauropod and had a size of around 19.7 ft (6 m) wide and 6.6 ft (2 m) tall. The Argentinosaurus is considered to have been the largest Sauropod and stood at 95-120 ft (29-36.5 m) wide and 70 ft (21.3 m) tall!

Commonly known dinosaurs like the Diplodocids group, the Brontosaurus, the Brachiosaurus, the Argentinosaurus, the Cetiosaurus, and the Atlantosaurus are also considered to be Sauropods. As a matter of fact, an intact sauropods' skeleton has been a rare occurrence. Thus, most sauropods' size charts are based on complete assumptions.

What are Sauropods related to?

As of now, there are no modern-day animals whose family tree can be linked back to Sauropods and assumptions have been made that these plant-eaters left no descendent behind that could evolve itself to become a part of the post-extinction wildlife of the Jurassic period.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures by reading our Abrosaurus facts or Haplocanthosaurus facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable family of four dinosaurs coloring pages.